Embarking Upon an Encore Endeavor
The numbers continue to increase; individuals are striving to launch an encore career. It’s exciting to set forth on a mission that is new and exciting, yet a new career offers new challenges and obstacles. There is a major compensation according to Marc Freedman in his book, Encore, they are not alone and more importantly part of something larger.
Today’s knowledge workers are not ready to call it quits after forty years of work. They are just bored. They want new challenges. The desire to do something where they feel satisfaction and that they have contributed to the betterment of society.
The social mission is a common venture for those choosing a new career. There is a dramatic increase in the number of social enterprises whether it be a new non-profit organization, pioneering a new foundation, or the beginnings of a for-profit business with an emphasis on a social concern.
New undertakings lead to an offspring of trade-offs. The family often faces tension in fears of the “what if.” What if the new job does not work out. The concern over family finances may be an issue. One family member wants to branch out and risk while others desire to play it safe.
The individual faces the tensions of desiring flexibility in the new career while still wanting to make an impact. New undertakings are not successful overnight; everyone knows that. Impatience haunts those wanting success to come soon.
Marc Freedman noted in his book that Peter Drucker predicted years ago that there would be a sharp increase in social entrepreneurship. Peter Drucker wrote, “Wherever there is success, there is failure. And then it is vitally important for the individual, and equally for the individual’s family to have an area in which he or she can contribute, make a difference, and be somebody.”
